Overview
- The RN congress re-elected Jordan Bardella with roughly 99 percent of the vote in an uncontested ballot, a result announced at the party meeting that took place Saturday in Orléans.
- Marine Le Pen was confirmed as the party’s 2027 presidential candidate and has pledged to name Bardella prime minister if she wins, a pledge the party used to underline campaign unity.
- Authorities reported about 13,000 people demonstrated in Orléans during the congress and local officials imposed a nighttime curfew for children and young people to reduce the risk of disorder.
- Recent media reports that allege antisemitic text messages from Bardella more than a decade ago put pressure on him but did not produce a leadership challenge or affect his re-election.
- The vote gives RN a clear leadership line for campaign planning and makes Bardella the party’s public second-in-command and potential fallback leader if Le Pen’s legal troubles change her candidacy status.